Final Scope of Work for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement CEQR NO. 05DEP010M For the Proposed Shaft 33B To City Tunnel No. 3, Stage 2 – Manhattan Leg Contact Information: Ms. Constance Vavilis, EIS Project Manager Office of Environmental Planning and Assessment New York City Department of Environmental Protection 59-17 Junction Boulevard, 11th Floor Flushing, New York 11373 Prepared with the assistance of: Mr. Lee Wordsman, Associate Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. 104 Corporate Park Drive White Plains, New York 10602 July 25, 2005 FINAL SCOPE OF WORK FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE PROPOSED SHAFT 33B TO CITY TUNNEL NO. 3, STAGE 2 - MANHATTAN LEG FOREWORD On April 8, 2005, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP or Department), acting as the Lead Agency, publicly distributed a Draft Scope of Work (DSOW) for the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the proposed Shaft 33B project. A formal Public Hearing was held on May 9, 2005 to accept comments on the DSOW. Additional written comments were received during the public comment period, which officially ended on May 19, 2005. Following the close of the public comment period, the Department accepted comments from concerned members of the public until July 6, 2005 in order to accommodate requests for additional time to review the DSOW. In addition to the formal public hearing, meetings were held with Manhattan Community Board 8 on April 18, 2005 and Manhattan Community Board 6 on May 25, 2005 and June 29, 2005 to present and explain the proposed Shaft 33B project and the environmental review process. The purpose of these meetings was to provide the forum within which the community could address their concerns directly to the Department and receive clarification about the proposed project and responses to their comments and questions. The local community has emphasized their concerns on various issues, including potential quality of life impacts and the siting of Shaft 33B. The Department is committed to keeping the many interested members of the public informed throughout the planning process for the project and will coordinate through the local Community Boards. For up to date information, please check the Department’s website at www.nyc.gov/dep. The Department’s website currently contains the Draft Scope of Work, the Final Scope of Work (FSOW), the presentation that NYCDEP made to Community Board 6 on June 29, 2005 and will soon contain a “Frequently Asked Questions” specific to the Shaft 33B project and the Draft EIS when it is published in Fall 2005. Information on City Tunnel No. 3 Stage 2 is also available on the website. It must be stressed that the proposed project is not at final design, relevant information is still being collected and many factors still need to be considered. Currently, the Department is providing the community with the best available information, however; this information will be adjusted and be reflective of new information as it becomes available to the Department. The relative advantages and disadvantages of the sites under consideration will be adjusted to reflect the outcome of the environmental impact analyses. The Draft EIS will provide full disclosure of all advantages, disadvantages, and pertinent environmental issues, at the preferred site and the alternative sites, as appropriate, to provide a true and thorough comparison of the potential for significant impacts to occur at each location. This FSOW includes clarifications and additional discussion regarding several of the issues emphasized at the Community Board meetings, including the advantages and disadvantages of 1 the alternate sites, the costs associated with each alternative, the length and duration of water main construction, and blasting at the Shaft 33B Site. In addition, a “Response to Comments” section is included as Attachment A and addresses those comments that were received during the DSOW comment period. Many of the comments provided on the DSOW also reflect concerns raised by the community at the Community Board meetings and thus some responses provided do further illuminate issues that were discussed at the meetings. The Department will make every effort to be responsive to the concerns of the community throughout the environmental review process and will present thorough environmental analyses of the proposed project in the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS will allow the public an opportunity to review the proposed project in more detail and will provide an additional opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed project. A. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION AND CEQR PROCEDURES NYCDEP is proposing to construct a water supply shaft, Shaft 33B, on the upper east side of Manhattan. The proposed preferred site for Shaft 33B is on E. 59th Street and First Avenue, adjacent to the Queensboro Bridge. Shaft 33B will be the last shaft to be sited for the City Tunnel No. 3 project that is currently under construction. As a water supply shaft, Shaft 33B will connect City Tunnel No. 3 to the water distribution system on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The siting of the shaft in this location will address the water supply pressure problems within this area and will provide redundancy to the existing water supply system. City Tunnel No. 3 is being constructed in part to facilitate inspection and repair of City Tunnel No. 1, which was activated in 1917 and has been in continuous operation for almost 90 years. Before the inspection of City Tunnel No. 1 can begin, City Tunnel No. 3 must be activated. Construction of Shaft 33B is subject to environmental review pursuant to New York City’s Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) process as set forth in Executive Order 91 of 1977 and its amendments creating the Rules of Procedure for CEQR, adopted by the City Planning Commission on June 26, 1991 and revised in October 2001 as well as the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) (Section 8-0113, Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law) as set forth in 6NYCRR Part 617. On April 8, 2005, NYCDEP, acting as the lead agency publicly distributed a Draft Scope of Work (DSOW) for the preparation of the Draft EIS for the proposed Shaft 33B project. The Draft EIS will allow close examination of the potential environmental impacts associated with construction of the shaft and assessment of alternative sites for the proposed shaft. The Draft EIS will also allow the Department to work closely with the community to disclose issues and address concerns about this complex and important project prior to making final decisions on siting the proposed Shaft 33B project at E. 59th Street and First Avenue. This FSOW sets forth the analyses and methodologies to be used in the preparation of the Draft EIS. Distribution of the DSOW was intended to initiate the public review process that will continue throughout the environmental review and decision-making process. This FSOW is being issued to address comments received during the public review and includes updates and additional review tasks, as may be appropriate, that were requested by the public. Attachment A 2 “Response to Comments” provides responses to comments received by NYCDEP via regular mail, email and at the public scoping hearing held on May 9, 2005. The formal closure of the public comment period was May 19, 2005, however, in order to accommodate the requests for additional time to review the DSOW, NYCDEP accepted comments from concerned members of the public until July 6, 2005. Based on this Final Scope of Work, a Draft EIS will be prepared, certified as complete, and circulated for public review. A public comment hearing will be scheduled with a period for submitting written comments on the Draft EIS. This comment period will be followed by the preparation and circulation of the Final EIS, which will include written responses to address public comments made on the Draft EIS. B. PROJECT DESCRIPTION NEW YORK CITY WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM New York City supplies water to its consumers from three primary sources: the Croton, the Catskill, and the Delaware Watersheds. Water flows by gravity from upland storage reservoirs to balancing reservoirs in Westchester County (Hillview Reservoir; Catskill/Delaware System) and in the City of New York (Jerome Park Reservoir; Croton System) and then to the City through City Tunnels No. 1, 2, City Tunnel No. 3, Stage 1 and the New Croton Aqueduct. City Tunnel No. 1 extends from the Hillview Reservoir in Westchester County through the Bronx and Manhattan, and into Brooklyn. City Tunnel No. 2 extends from Hillview Reservoir through the Bronx and into Queens and Brooklyn. These tunnels are connected to the consumers through the distribution system, which consists of a network of water mains (pipes) of various sizes (see Figures 1 and 2). PROJECT HISTORY AND HISTORY OF WATER TUNNEL NO. 3 The New York City Board of Water Supply (Water Board) first conceived of the idea to construct City Tunnel No. 3 in 1954 in order to unwater (drain), inspect, and rehabilitate City Tunnels No. 1 and No. 2 while maintaining water deliveries at adequate flows and pressures, and to provide for increased water demands within the City. City Tunnels No. 1 and No. 2 have been in service since 1914 and 1917 respectively. In 1978, the Water Board was merged into the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), who thereafter assumed responsibility for the planning and implementation of City Tunnel No. 3. Design and construction of City Tunnel No. 3 was planned in stages. Stage 1 of City Tunnel No. 3 extends from the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers through the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, and into Queens. As construction of Stage 1 progressed, the Water Board issued a 1973 Report to the Board of Estimate1, which outlined the planning, design, and construction of Stage 2.